Alright, so I’ve been messing around with this fantasy baseball auction stuff for a while now, and this year I decided to really dive in and document how I create my auction values for the 2024 season. It’s a bit of a process, but I think it’s worth it to get a good handle on what players are worth.
First off, I started digging into all sorts of baseball data. You know, the usual stuff like pitch type, velocity, and batted ball location. I used a bunch of different sources to get a good overall picture. Once I had all this data, I started playing around with different projection systems. I looked at Steamer, ATC, and a couple of others. They are all available in the Fangraphs Auction Calculator, which is a lifesaver, by the way.
So, after I got all these projections loaded in, I started tweaking the settings in the calculator to match my league. My main league is a 12-team mixed league, so I made sure to set it up for that. You can also do AL-only or NL-only if that’s your thing. I set the number of teams and the budget. It’s pretty cool because you can customize it to fit whatever kind of league you’re in.
Once I had all the settings just right, the calculator spit out some ballpark auction values for each player. But here’s the thing about these values – they’re not set in stone. Think of them more like “confidence ratings.” I mean, the value of your dollar is always changing during the auction. You’ve got to stay on your toes.
My Strategy for 12-Team Leagues
Now, for my 12-team league, I’ve got a few strategies I like to stick to. I won’t go into all the details here, but I will say that it’s crucial to stay flexible. I’ve seen some crazy stuff happen in auctions. Players you thought would go for big bucks end up going for cheap, and vice versa. Perceptions are all over the place, you know?
Here are my main strategy points:
- Don’t get too attached to any one player: There’s always someone else out there.
- Be patient: You don’t have to spend all your money right away. Sometimes the best deals come later in the auction.
- Know your budget: This one’s obvious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and overspend.
- Pay attention to what other people are doing: Are they loading up on pitching? Are they going after all the big-name hitters? Use this information to your advantage.
I also made some cheat sheets to help me keep track of everything. I’ve got rankings and auction values all laid out. It’s a bit of work to put together, but it’s super helpful during the draft. I’ve found that being prepared really helps me make better decisions.
So yeah, that’s basically how I go about creating my auction values. It’s not an exact science, but I feel like it gives me a pretty good edge. And remember, things are always changing. I last updated my values on March 24, 2024, but I’ll probably keep tweaking them as we get closer to the season. It’s all part of the fun, right?
Hope this was helpful. Good luck with your auctions, folks!